Car coupler



March 20, 1962 Filed Aug. 15, 1960 W. J. METZGER CAR COUPLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

March 20, 1962 w. J. METZGER CAR COUPLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 15, 1960 INVENTOR.

BY W/LL/AM 144N365;

' 4rrozA/zv United States Patent G 3,025,975 CAR COUPLER William J. Metzger, East Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to National Castings Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed Aug. 15, 1960, Ser. No. 49,603 Claims. (Cl. 213100) This invention relates to a railway car coupler of the fixed jaw type that can be inverted and thus employed in rotary dumping operations without the couplers accidentally uncoupling.

Fixed jaw couplers, commonly referred to in the art as Willison couplers, have been known and widely used for years. However, since the majority of these couplers rely upon gravity to actuate the lock, their use on mine cars and similar vehicles where it is necessary to invert the car to unload it has been very limited. As is frequently the case in mine car operation, a Single car in a train of cars is inverted for unloading purposes without uncoupling it from adjoining cars. This arrangement requires a coupler, as well as the car, to assume an inverted position. With the coupler in an inverted position, the gravity actuated lock frequently assumes a lockset position which in effect unlocks the coupler and permits uncoupling of the coupler. To overcome this inherent defect, spring-actuated locks have been used, but their use has been restricted to fractional size couplers that do not possess the strength characteristics of the larger and heavier couplers.

The invention disclosed herein provides a fixed jaw coupler with a gravity actuated lock that permits the coupler to be inverted without the'lock assuming a lockset position. Thus, the advantages of the inherently strong full-size fixed jaw coupler with a gravity actuated lock are made available for a wide variety of applications hitherto thought to be beyond the scope of the coupler. The structural features which make possible wider use of the fixed jaw coupler reside in the unique structural configuration of the lock. In addition to permitting a gravity actuated fixed jaw coupler to be used where it is necessary to invert the coupler as in mine car dumping operations, the structural features of the lock also provide a secondary or tertiary anti-creep for the coupler.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide an automatic fixed jaw coupler for the rotary dumping of mine cars that will allow the couplers to be inverted without the locks assuming a lock-set position, thereby precluding unintentional uncoupling of the couplers.

A specific object of this invention is to provide an automatic fixed jaw coupler with a lock having a structural configuration that will prevent it from assuming a lockset position when the coupler is inverted, thereby permitting it to be used in rotary dumping operations.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a fixed jaw coupler embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of two fixed jaw couplers embodying the invention with locks of both couplers 3,025,975 Patented Mar. 20, 1962 FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lock embodying the invention.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a fixed jaw coupler 2 embodying this invention is illustrated with lock 4 in the locking position. Lock-set piece 6 is pivotably supported on trunnion 8 within the coupler head. A lug 10, projecting outwardly from the side of lock 4, is engageable with surface 12 on the bottom of lock-set member 6 and with surface 14 on the rearward side of member 6. The lock, in conventional construction, is further characterized by recess 16 on the side opposite that on which lug 10 is disposed. This can be more clearly seen in FIG. 2. This recess is large enough to accommodate the upward extension of thrower 18 which is pivotably mounted on trunnion 20 and which is externally actuated by the operator upon rotation of arm 22. When arm 22 is rotated, the upward extension of the thrower engages surface 24 and urges the lock upwardly and rearwardly into lock-set or unlocking position. The lock of the coupler in the right side of FIG. 3 is shown in the lockset position. The lock is held in lock-set position against gravity by lug 10 which abuts against surface 14 on member 6. The lock-set piece is temporarily held in fixed relation by the engagement of its forward surface 28 with the buffing face of the opposing coupler. Upon separation of the couplers, the force exerted by lug 10 against surface 14 will cause lock-set piece 6 to rotate about trunnion 8 in a forward direction permitting lug 10 to pass beneath member 6 allowing the lock to assume a locking position. It will be understood that the lockset piece will rotate forwardly about trunnion 8 when the lug on the lock exerts a force against surface 14 unless member 6 is prevented from rotating by the buffing face of an opposing coupler which abuts against surface 28 on the lock-set piece. Thus, the lock is held in a lockset position only as long as there is an opposing coupler in coupled relationship with the coupler.

Referring to FIG. 2, two couplers are illustrated in their normal locked relationship. The relative positions of the lock-set piece and lug 10 on the lock can be readily observed and compared to those shown in FIG. 3. Fig. 3 shows the coupler on the right in a lock-set position, and the coupler on the left in a normal locking position. The function of lug 10 is clearly shown in the coupler on the right. Lug 10, when the coupler is in a lock-set position, is to the rear of the lock-set piece and is held in this position by surface 14 on the lock-set piece. The lock-set piece is prevented from rotating forwardly due to surface 28 abutting against the buffing face of the opposing coupler.

The lock-set piece is formed with a vertically disposed elongated slot 30 for receiving trunnion 8. This slot permits the lock-set piece to be raised to enable lug 10 to move rearwardly when the lock moves from a locking position to lock-set position. When moving to lock-set position, lock 4 moves rearwardly and upwardly along sloping surface 32 of the coupler head and brings lug 10 into contact with surface 12 on the lock-set piece. As the lock continues to move rearwardly the camming action of lug 10 against surface 12 raises the lock-set piece and as soon as lug 10 passes to the rear of surface 12, the lock-set piece drops vertically downward to a position wherein surface 14 is in front of lug 10, as in FIG. 3. The lock is now in the lock-set position and will be held there so long as surface 28 of the lock-set piece abuts against an opposing similar coupler.

When the coupler is rotated about its longitudinal axis to an inverted position, the lock is free to drop onto top wall 36 of the coupler head, as seen in FIG. 4. In this inverted position of the coupler it will be seen that the sloped top portion 38 of the lock rests on sloping surface 39 of the front wall of the coupler. Also, the lock 3 has been cammed rearwardly by surface 39 to the unlocking or lock-set position.

Cars equipped for rotary dumping operations normal ly have at one end a coupler that can be rotated along its longitudinal axis, and at the opposite end a coupler that cannot rotate. The cars in a train are so arranged that a rotary coupler is always coupled to a non-rotary coupler. Hence, during rotary dumping operations when a car is inverted to unload it, the fixed coupler on the car, and the rotary coupler on the adjacent car, are inverted as well. When two gravity actuated couplers are inverted, their locks and lock-set pieces will assume positions as indicated in FIG. 4. Although both locks may not assume a lock-set position as is shown, very probably at least one will assume such a position, this will eventual- 1y result in uncoupling. It should be carefully noted that the locks in FIG. 4 are not held in lock-set position by member 6, but are merely resting on the top wall of the coupler. Lock-set member 6, when the coupler is inverted, rests on the lower end of slot 30 in contact with trunnion 8. Thus, lug is not in contact with member'6. However, when the car is returned to its upright position, the lock-set piece promptly drops to the position in which lug 10 maintains the lock in its lock-set position. It can therefore be expected that a car equipped with gravity actuated locks, when used in rotary dumping operation, will uncouple from the adjoining car either when inverted, or soon thereafter.

To preclude the couplers from assuming a lockset position during rotary dumping operations, edge 51 formed by the mergence of surface 38 and surface 34 on the coupler lock, is indented to form notch or recess 40 which is complemental to edge 52 formed by front buffing face 44 of the coupler head. The recess, which is more clearly shown in FIG. 6, is defined by a rearward facing front surface 46, bottom surface 48, and a convexly curved forwardly facing rear surface 50. When a coupler equipped with a lock formed with recess 40 is inverted, the lock drops downward to the position in which forwardly facing abutment edge 52 of the coupler head is received in recess 40, as is shown in FIG. 5, and the coupler remains in a locking position although inverted. Any abutment surface on the head can be employed to accomplish the same result. A comparison between FIG. 4, showing two inverted couplers, and FIG. 5 with two inverted couplers but with locks having recess 40, dis= closes that all other pieces in the coupler head assume their normal inverted positions except the locks. So long as recess 40 receives edge 52, the coupler cannot assume a lock-set position merely because it is inverted. The only way for a coupler with a lock so constructed to assume a lock-set position, is to have the lock moved to a lock-set position by the lock thrower by intentional actuation of the coupler, as is shown in FIG. 3.

In addition to providing a means for adapting a gravity actuated coupler for rotary dumping operation, the recessed lock provides a secondary or tertiary anti-creep for the coupler. During normal operations, the coupler is subjected to violent jouncing and vibrations. A unique series of such vibrations can cause the lock to be jarred in such a manner as to cause the coupler to uncouple from the adjoining car. The recessed lock, with its ability to freely engage edge 52, provides an anti-creep means when the coupler is in its normal, upright, position to prevent rearward movement of the lock to unlocking position.

An added advantage of this invention is that the simplicity of design permits existing gravity actuated couplers to be adapted for rotary dumping operation by merely recessing the coupler lock. Almost any gravity actuated coupler of the type disclosed can be altered physically to incorporate the features of this invention.

From the foregoing description and accompanying drawings it will be understood that what has been disclosed is a means for adapting a gravity actuated coupler for rotary dumping operations by providing the coupler lock with a structural configuration that prevents it from assuming an unlocked or lock-set position when inverted.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation and there is no intention of excluding such equivalents of the invention described or of the portions thereof as fall within the purview of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A car coupler of the fixed jaw type having a head with a lock opening therein, a lock chamber in said head, said chamber comprising top and bottom walls, said top wall having abutment'means disposed thereon, a lock reciprocably disposed in said chamber, said lock being movable between a rearward lock-set position and a forward locking position in said opening, said lock having on the upper side thereof a recess adapted to receive therein said means when said head is inverted to maintain said lock in its forward locking position.

2. A car couplero'fthe fixed jaw type having a head with a-lock'opening' therein, a lock chamber in said head, said chamber having top and bottom walls, said top wall formedwith a forwardly facing depending abutment portion, a lock reciprocably disposedin said chamber, said lock being movable between 'a rearward lock-set position in said head and a forward locking position in said opening, said lo'ck' having on the upper side a recess complemental to said abutment portion, said recess and said abutment portion being engageable'when said head is in verted to maintain said lock in its forward locking position.

3. A car coupler of the fixed jaw type having a head with a lock opening therein, a lock chamber in said head, said chamber being defined by top, bottom, and side walls, a gravity-actuated lock reciprocably disposed in said chamher, said lock being movable between a rearward lockset position in said head and a forward locking position in said'opening, said lock having on-theupper portion thereof a recess complemental to an abutment edge of said top wall, said'recess being defined by a rearward facing surface and a bottom-surface engageable with said abutment edge of said top wall, said-edge and said rearward facing surface engaging each other when said head is inverted to maintain said lock in its forward locking position.

4. A car coupler of the fixed jaw type having a head with a lock opening disposed therein, a lock chamber in said head, said chamber comprising a top wall, a gravityactuated lock slidably disposed in said chamber on a forwardly inclined surface, said lock being movable between a rearward lock-set position and a forward locking position, said lock having on an upper surface thereof a recess complemental to the forward facing abutment edge of said top wall, said recess comprisinga rearward facing surface engageable with said abutment edge, said edge and said rearward facing surface engaging each other when said head is inverted to maintain said lock in its forward locking position.

5. A lock for use in a car coupler as definedin claim 2 having on the upper side thereof a recess, said recess being defined by a rearward facing surface adapted for abutting engagement to said abutment surface.

No references cited. 

